Orlando City officially completed the signing of midfielder Antonio Nocerino from AC Milan on Thursday after weeks of talks.
Nocerino, 30, will link up with his former teammate Kaka after making the move to Major League Soccer.
"I've always said that I'd like an experience abroad, it arrived and I grabbed it," Nocerino told SportItalia. "I don't expect anything from Milan, my needs regarded feeling good and choosing a project where I would really feel an integral part, with facts and not just words."
.@KAKA welcomes his former teammate, Antonio Nocerino, to Orlando.#NeverHuntAlone pic.twitter.com/iFVdXsbGef
- Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) February 18, 2016
The former Italy international has played his entire career in his home country with the exception of a six-month loan to West Ham in 2014.
He was on the books at Juventus until 2008, when he joined Palermo. He moved to Milan on a five-year contract in 2011.
Nocerino played on loan for Parma last season, and after the club was doomed by financial difficulties, he moved back to his parent club, where he has not played since August.
"I stayed with the Rossoneri to get my chance, I wanted to put myself into the discussion and find a space," Nocerino said. "I will always be grateful to Milan for what they gave me and made me become. I had many requests from abroad and didn't turn any away."
On Sunday, Milan CEO Adriano Galliani confirmed that Nocerino would leave the club ahead of his move to Orlando.
Orlando coach Adrian Heath said he was happy to secure Nocerino's services.
"Nocerino is an energetic and hard-working box-to-box midfielder that can provide an immediate impact within the squad," Heath said. "He has a tremendous amount of experience playing at the highest level and his ability to play numerous roles in the midfield will be an incredible asset for us this season. We're looking forward to working with him."
Orlando had to send targeted and general allocation money to D.C. United to secure Nocerino's rights.
"Antonio is a player that we really admire, who can be effective in a number of different positions, which gives us great depth," said Orlando City president Phil Rawlins.
"His vast experience in the Serie A will be invaluable for our team as we aim to make the MLS playoffs in 2016."